As for the couplers generally applicable to silver halide color photographic light sensitive materials, there have been known couplers including, for example, the yellow couplers each comprising a open-chained ketomethylene type compound, the magenta couplers each comprising a pyrazolone or pyrazoloazole type compound and the cyan couplers each comprising a phenol or naphthol type compound. Among them, a 5-pyrazolone compound has very often been used for the magenta couplers so far.
The known pyrazolone magenta couplers are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,600,788 and 3,519,429 and Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection (hereinafter referred to as JP OPI Publication) Nos. 49-111631 (1974) and 57-35858 (1982). However, the dyes made of the pyrazolone magenta couplers have produced an undesirable side-absorption which has been demanded for the improvements, as described in `The Theory of the Photographic Process`, the 4th Ed., Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977, pp.356-358; `Fine Chemical`, Vol.14, No.8, CMC Press, pp.38-41; and the Lecture Transcription published at the 1985 Annual convention of the Society of Photographic Science of Japan, pp.108-110.
As described in the above-given literatures, the dyes made of the pyrazoloazole type magenta couplers do not produce any side-absorption. The above-given literatures, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,725,067, 3,758,309 and 3,810,761 and so forth describe that the couplers of this type are excellent.
However, the light-fastness of azomethine dyes made of the couplers are so seriously low that the characteristics of color photographic light sensitive materials, particularly those of print type color photographic light sensitive materials are seriously spoiled.
The studies and researches have been tried for improving the light-fastness. For example, JP OPI Publication Nos. 59-125732 (1984), 61-282845 (1986), 61-292639 (1986) and 61-279855 (1986) disclose the techniques of making combination use of a pyrazoloazole type coupler and a phenol type compound or a phenylether compound and JP OPI Publication Nos. 61-72246 (1986), 62-208048 (1987), 62-157031 (1987) and 163351 (1988) disclose the techniques of making combination use of a pyrazoloazole type coupler and an amine type compound.
Further, JP OPI Publication No. 63-24256 (1988) proposes for a pyrazoloazole type magenta coupler having an alkyloxyphenyloxy group.
In the above-given techniques, the light-fastness of magenta dye images are still unsatisfactory and the improvements thereof have been eagerly demanded.